Transcript

2.
What Is Information Seeking?
• In the simplest terms, information seeking
involves the search, retrieval, recognition,
and application of meaningful content. This
search may be explicit or implicit, the
retrieval may be the result of specific
strategies or serendipity, the resulting
information may be embraced or rejected,
the entire experience may be carried through
to a logical conclusion or aborted in
midstream, and there may be a million other
potential results.
• Kingrey, K. P. (2002, Spring). Concepts of information seeking
and their presence in the practical library literature.
Library Philosophy and Practice, 4, 2
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What is information seeking?

6.
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Why Seek? Theory 3
The Gap that does not make sense (“Sense-
making” hypothesis)
• “. . . Dervin presents to us a picture
of a man walking along a road,
when he comes upon an impassable
hole in the ground. In this situation,
he is obviously facing a gap. What
is he to do now?”
• Kari, J. (1998, November). Making sense of sense-making: From
metatheory to substantive theory in the context of paranormal
information seeking. Paper presented at Nordis-Net workshop
(Meta)theoretical stands in studying library and information
institutions: individual, organizational and societal aspects, November
12–15 1998, Oslo, Norway. Retrieved September 22, 2004.
See also: Savolainen, R. (2006, April 25) Information use as gap-bridging: The
viewpoint of sense-making methodology. Journal of the Association for
Information Science and Technology. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
Brenda Dervin

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Who Seeks? Theory 3
Sense-Making Hypothesis:
• “. . . [a] patron [who] is seen as being locked
in a situation unable to move further because
of some kind of gap in his knowledge.”
• Ammentorp and Hummelshøj, Ask a librarian:
web-based reference question services: A model
for development.
Brenda Dervin

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How Do They Seek? Theory 2
Kuhlthau’s ISP:
• “The critical component of the
ISP is the person’s own
formulation of a focus that
involves gaining a personal
perspective of the topic or subject
while using a variety of sources of information.
In other words, users are constructing their
own understandings through inquiry.”
• Kuhlthau, C. “Research Interests.” Last Updated January
2012. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
• http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kuhlthau/research_interests.htm

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How Do They Seek? Theory 3
Dervin’s Sense-Making:
• “ . . . the patron is seen as being locked in a
situation unable to move further because
of some kind of gap in his knowledge.
However the patron tries to bridge this gap
by asking questions and using the answers
to closing the gap, making new sense. As
Belkin, Dervin sees the nature of the
information need as something situational
changing as the patron tries to bridge the
gap.”
• Ammentorp and Hummelshøj, “Ask a Librarian: Web-
Based Reference Question Services: A Model for
Development.”